July 26
1775 - The Continental Congress established a Post Office and appointed Benjamin Franklin its Postmaster-General.
1788 - New York became the 11th state.
1847 - The western African country of Liberia, founded by freed American slaves, declared its independence and became Africa's first republic.
1863 - Sam Houston, former president of the Republic of Texas, died in Huntsville at age 70.
1908 - The Office of the Chief Examiner, which in 1935 became the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was created.
1945 - Winston Churchill resigned as Britain's prime minister after his Conservatives were soundly defeated by the Labor Party. He was succeeded by Clement Attlee.
1945 - The Potsdam Declaration warned Imperial Japan to unconditionally surrender, or face "prompt and utter destruction."
1947 - President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act, which created the Department of Defense, the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
1948 - President Harry S. Truman signed executive orders prohibiting discrimination in the U.S. armed forces and federal employment.
1952 - Adlai E. Stevenson was nominated for president at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
1952 - Argentina's first lady, Eva Peron, died in Buenos Aires at age 33.
1953 - Fidel Castro began his revolt against Fulgencio Batista with an unsuccessful attack on an army barracks in eastern Cuba. (Castro ousted Batista in 1959.)
1956 - Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal.
1964 - Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa and six others were convicted of fraud and conspiracy in the handling of a union pension fund.
1971 - Apollo 15 was launched on a manned mission to the moon.
1990 - The House of Representatives reprimanded Rep. Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts) for ethics violations.
1990 - President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law.
1990 - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that a young woman -- later identified as Kimberly Bergalis of Florida -- had been infected with the AIDS virus, apparently by her dentist.
2000 - A federal judge approved a $1.25 billion settlement between Swiss banks and more than half a million plaintiffs who alleged the banks had hoarded money deposited by Holocaust victims.
2002 - The Republican-led House voted 295-1932 to create an enormous Department of Homeland Security in the biggest government reorganization in decades.
2006 - A jury in Houston found Andrea Yates not guilty by reason of insanity in the drowning deaths of her children in a bathtub in the second trial she faced on the charges; she was committed to a state mental hospital.
2013 - Ariel Castro, the man who had imprisoned three women in his Cleveland home, subjecting them to a decade of rapes and beatings, pleaded guilty to 937 counts in a deal to avoid the death penalty. (Castro later committed suicide in prison.)
2016 - Hillary Clinton becomes the first woman to be nominated for president by a major political party at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
2017 - President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that he would not “accept or allow” transgender people to serve in the U.S. military. (After a legal battle, the Defense Department approved a policy requiring most individuals to serve in their birth gender; that policy was reversed by the Biden administration, which allowed transgender people who met military standards to enlist and serve openly in their self-identified gender.)
2020 - Authorities declared a riot in Portland, Oregon, after protesters breached a fence surrounding the city’s federal courthouse; thousands had gathered for another night of protests over the killing of George Floyd and the presence of federal agents.
Birthdays
22 - Thomasin McKenzie (actress)
29 - Elizabeth Gillies (actress)
29 - Taylor Momsen (actress/singer)
32 - Bianca Santos (actress)
34 - Francia Raisa (actress)
34 - Caitlin Gerard (actress)
36 - Monica Raymund (actress)
43 - Juliet Rylance (actress)
44 - Eve Myles (actress)
45 - Rebecca St. James (singer)
49 - Gary Owen (actor)
49 - Kate Beckinsale (actress)
51 - Chris Harrison (TV host)
52 - Cress Williams (actor)
55 - Jason Statham (actor)
56 - Wayne Wonder (singer)
57 - Jeremy Piven (actor)
58 - Danny Woodburn (actor/comedian)
58 - Sandra Bullock (actress)
63 - Kevin Spacey (actor)
65 - Nana Visitor (actress)
66 - Dorothy Hamill (figure skater)
72 - Susan George (actress)
73 - Roger Taylor (musician)
77 - Helen Mirren (actress)
79 - Mick Jagger (singer)
81 - Brenton Wood (singer)
81 - Darlene Love (actress/singer)
91 - Robert Colbert (actor)
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Today in Sports History - July 26
1933 - Joe DiMaggio ends a 61-game hitting streak in the Pacific Coast League.
1948 - Babe Ruth was seen by the public for the last time, when he attended the New York City premiere of the motion picture, "The Babe Ruth Story."
1978 - Johnny Bench hits his 300th career home run.
1984 - Pete Rose ties Ty Cobb's record with his 3,502nd career single.
1987 - Catfish Hunter, Billy Williams and Ray Dandridge are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1992 - Nolan Ryan establishes a major league record with by striking out 100 batters in 23 consecutive seasons.
1996 - American swimmer Amy Van Dyken won the 50-meter freestyle to become Atlanta's first quadruple gold medalist and the first U.S. woman to win four in a single Olympics.
1998 - Three spectators were killed and six were injured by flying debris from a one-car crash at the U.S. 500 at Michigan Speedway. They were the first fan deaths at a major race in the United States in more than a decade.
1775 - The Continental Congress established a Post Office and appointed Benjamin Franklin its Postmaster-General.
1788 - New York became the 11th state.
1847 - The western African country of Liberia, founded by freed American slaves, declared its independence and became Africa's first republic.
1863 - Sam Houston, former president of the Republic of Texas, died in Huntsville at age 70.
1908 - The Office of the Chief Examiner, which in 1935 became the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was created.
1945 - Winston Churchill resigned as Britain's prime minister after his Conservatives were soundly defeated by the Labor Party. He was succeeded by Clement Attlee.
1945 - The Potsdam Declaration warned Imperial Japan to unconditionally surrender, or face "prompt and utter destruction."
1947 - President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act, which created the Department of Defense, the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
1948 - President Harry S. Truman signed executive orders prohibiting discrimination in the U.S. armed forces and federal employment.
1952 - Adlai E. Stevenson was nominated for president at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
1952 - Argentina's first lady, Eva Peron, died in Buenos Aires at age 33.
1953 - Fidel Castro began his revolt against Fulgencio Batista with an unsuccessful attack on an army barracks in eastern Cuba. (Castro ousted Batista in 1959.)
1956 - Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal.
1964 - Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa and six others were convicted of fraud and conspiracy in the handling of a union pension fund.
1971 - Apollo 15 was launched on a manned mission to the moon.
1990 - The House of Representatives reprimanded Rep. Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts) for ethics violations.
1990 - President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law.
1990 - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that a young woman -- later identified as Kimberly Bergalis of Florida -- had been infected with the AIDS virus, apparently by her dentist.
2000 - A federal judge approved a $1.25 billion settlement between Swiss banks and more than half a million plaintiffs who alleged the banks had hoarded money deposited by Holocaust victims.
2002 - The Republican-led House voted 295-1932 to create an enormous Department of Homeland Security in the biggest government reorganization in decades.
2006 - A jury in Houston found Andrea Yates not guilty by reason of insanity in the drowning deaths of her children in a bathtub in the second trial she faced on the charges; she was committed to a state mental hospital.
2013 - Ariel Castro, the man who had imprisoned three women in his Cleveland home, subjecting them to a decade of rapes and beatings, pleaded guilty to 937 counts in a deal to avoid the death penalty. (Castro later committed suicide in prison.)
2016 - Hillary Clinton becomes the first woman to be nominated for president by a major political party at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
2017 - President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that he would not “accept or allow” transgender people to serve in the U.S. military. (After a legal battle, the Defense Department approved a policy requiring most individuals to serve in their birth gender; that policy was reversed by the Biden administration, which allowed transgender people who met military standards to enlist and serve openly in their self-identified gender.)
2020 - Authorities declared a riot in Portland, Oregon, after protesters breached a fence surrounding the city’s federal courthouse; thousands had gathered for another night of protests over the killing of George Floyd and the presence of federal agents.
Birthdays
22 - Thomasin McKenzie (actress)
29 - Elizabeth Gillies (actress)
29 - Taylor Momsen (actress/singer)
32 - Bianca Santos (actress)
34 - Francia Raisa (actress)
34 - Caitlin Gerard (actress)
36 - Monica Raymund (actress)
43 - Juliet Rylance (actress)
44 - Eve Myles (actress)
45 - Rebecca St. James (singer)
49 - Gary Owen (actor)
49 - Kate Beckinsale (actress)
51 - Chris Harrison (TV host)
52 - Cress Williams (actor)
55 - Jason Statham (actor)
56 - Wayne Wonder (singer)
57 - Jeremy Piven (actor)
58 - Danny Woodburn (actor/comedian)
58 - Sandra Bullock (actress)
63 - Kevin Spacey (actor)
65 - Nana Visitor (actress)
66 - Dorothy Hamill (figure skater)
72 - Susan George (actress)
73 - Roger Taylor (musician)
77 - Helen Mirren (actress)
79 - Mick Jagger (singer)
81 - Brenton Wood (singer)
81 - Darlene Love (actress/singer)
91 - Robert Colbert (actor)
====================================
Today in Sports History - July 26
1933 - Joe DiMaggio ends a 61-game hitting streak in the Pacific Coast League.
1948 - Babe Ruth was seen by the public for the last time, when he attended the New York City premiere of the motion picture, "The Babe Ruth Story."
1978 - Johnny Bench hits his 300th career home run.
1984 - Pete Rose ties Ty Cobb's record with his 3,502nd career single.
1987 - Catfish Hunter, Billy Williams and Ray Dandridge are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1992 - Nolan Ryan establishes a major league record with by striking out 100 batters in 23 consecutive seasons.
1996 - American swimmer Amy Van Dyken won the 50-meter freestyle to become Atlanta's first quadruple gold medalist and the first U.S. woman to win four in a single Olympics.
1998 - Three spectators were killed and six were injured by flying debris from a one-car crash at the U.S. 500 at Michigan Speedway. They were the first fan deaths at a major race in the United States in more than a decade.
